The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-03-11
The Distribution and Consumption of Wheat
and Corn-An Alleged Plan for Gerryman-
dering Randall Out Of Public Life.
CONGRESSMAN OWEN.

this Congress IA. Cos bills, 357 of these being IN
the Senate. Over 3, 900 of these bills were acted
on and 1901 became laws. The number of bills
passed is larger than usual, as the number In
troduced was much larger than usual. but the
enacsments of national Importance are less than
twenty. They are:
81 The electoral-count bill.
''2 The presidential succession bill.
80 Repeating the tenure of office act,
"a The Mormon bill.
80 Providing for fast cruisers and steel guns.
20 The Canadian retallntory bill.
81 Regulating interstate commerce
IS Redeeming trade dollars.
80 Prohibiting the ownership of land by
Aliens
80 Sending all private claims to the Court of
Claims.
I'll. Ordering an inquiry into the manage
ment of the Pacific roads.
''l2. Relieving the merchant marine Of num-
ber of needless burdens.
"13 Extending the ree-delivery system to
cities of IL, 600 inhabitants
.'l4. Authorizing the issue of small silver Ger.
tificates. :
10 Forfeiting A. 600 900 acres Of unearned
land grants.
recognize as of great consequence, and all of
them originated in the Senate. The remain
ing seven took their rise in the House. The
tance. Mr. Payson. Republican Congressman,
was the author of the ninth-prohibiting the
ownership of lands by aliens-and Mr.. Payson
and iir. Cobb are jointly entitled to the credit
of the forfeiture bills. While it has come to be
the fashion to speak of the Senate as the House
of Lords,-and the feeling in the case is measur
ably correct for after gets into the Sen
ate you can get about close to him as explor.
ers have to the north pcle-yet the Senate of this
Congress has shown more alertness in the possi
bilites OF foreign troubles; it has passed more
beneficial measures aud exhibited more prac
tical craftsmanship than has been found in our
end of the Capitol.
.Yes, the Notifications measure. which more
than year ago regarded as grave ne
cessity that Samuel j. Tiden addressed mem
Der of Congress open letter the subject
swamped in the House after it had passed
the Senate by almost unanimous vote.
Neither did O'Neill's labor arbitration bill reach
! a vote His bill had the sanction of Mr. Pow
derly, who. the head of the Knights of La
Dor, is seeking to settle differences between en-
ployer and employees without strikes, and who
has learned that arbitration is valueless unloss
you can legally enforce the findings of
| ment grappie with the great labor problem is
move in the right direction, and T never saw a
man work more faithfully The patriots who,
last summer. before the election. were voting for
everything that was labeled labor. have this
winter turned cold shoulder on the whole fra
ternity, and refused to let this measure have
one hour of time for consideration; but they will
doubtless be warm advocates of it next winter.
| fail cd hv oh
structive tactics. 1t proposes to distribute $780,
| 000, 900 among the States the basis of litter
| acy for educational purposes. There was
fierce opposition to 1t, but am persuaded that
| twenty-five years from now it would be regarded
as of the greatest legislative acts since the
days of the fathers Legislation in our country
is prophecy; 1t includes the future, and if, un-
der the fear of CRITICISM we look only to mme
diate results we will build a structure that ie
! temporary and will soon fall. Ignorance is the
! mother of vice. misery and riot against const-
tuted authority: Education develops moro NOR
| ality; it opens the way to prosperity and happi-
ness, and creates civilization. This government
has two duties which, if performed. will make Us
immeasurably great One is to meet all our OBJ
| legations, whether based on law patriotic sem
timeut; the other, to give to every citizen the
| sovereignty of an education"
How about the river and harbor billl'
''It was not sent to the President in time for
him to examine it, and Chairman Willis spent
Saturday in the Capitol library seeking any law
| forbidding signature after Congress adiourns
The deficiency bill failing the same way will
cause great hardship to hundreds Of people to
| whom the government is owing money. don't
think Mr.. Willis will find any authority either
| way on signature of bill after Congress ad-
| journs. 1t the clear intent of the trainers
| of the Constitution that the House and Senate
and the President should. in cooperation, pro-
duce legislation, except provided for in case of
| veto. On the 4th of March, at 12 o'clock, the
Forty ninth Congress expired. 1t died. and It is
not now possible for of these coordinate
| brances to perform act that will put life into
| a tagging bill. Although the President still lives
for, like the king, he never dies, he cannot put
| in motion the functions of the Forty ninth Leg
| islative Assembly. 1t has no functions. 1t il
| dead"
What do you think of the administration"
asked of Mr.. Owen, who is a studious unpreiu.
| diced observer. He said:
"We have now had two full years Of Demo
cratic administration. and we find that mona of
| the promises made US in the Cleveland campaign
have been fulfilled. The surplus has not been
reduced, the tariff has not been revised and no
great reform has been made in any department
of the government Our friends went into pow
er on the express promise Of reform. As every
thing keeps IN the old way are bound to con
clude that investigation showed that any
change would be detrimental, and that
the Democracy, with its characteristic
disinterested patriotism, has thrown aside
its proposed reforms and will run
business the old schedule. II in
this Congress, with forty three majority, the ad
ministration has been unable to enact any dis
snctive Democratic doctrine and the Repub-
iican element has dominated and passed almos
every valuable measure of legislation, ! icnl